Biz Picture - Recap of the week's top business stories

Saturday

Jul 13, 2013 at 10:00 AM

GE Aviation incentives, a grocery merger and news about home sales made headlines.

CASTLE HAYNE | North Carolina has agreed to provide incentives as part of a state-local economic package to get GE Aviation to expand at four sites, including Castle Hayne.The state will provide a Job Development Investment Grant of up to 12 annual payments equal to 75 percent of the state personal income tax withholding from the eligible new jobs, according to a news release.GE Aviation announced in June that it would add 242 jobs – possibly 35 of them at the Castle Hayne facility – and invest $195 million over five years in the state if a set of local and state incentives could be lined up.

MATTHEWS | Kroger, the country's largest supermarket operator, has agreed to buy Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc. for about $2.44 billion.Harris Teeter operates 212 stores in eight Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, while Kroger has 2,419 stores in 31 states.After the deal closes, Harris Teeter will become a Kroger subsidiary and will continue to be led by members of its current senior management. There are no plans to close stores and the company will remain based in Matthews, N.C.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY | Wilmington-area home sales continued to climb in June, though the pace of the increase slowed from previous months.Sales of homes rose to 577 last month compared with 556 in June 2012, according to statistics released last week by the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors.Though up only about 3.7 percent last month, sales have shown year-over-year improvement for at least the past 12 months.

WILMINGTON | A runway project that's been more than a decade in the making for the Wilmington International Airport will finally be completed by August, officials say.The airport's north-south runway – which runs from Smith Creek to near the intersection of Blue Clay Road and North Kerr Avenue – will see 750 feet added to its northern end. The addition is necessary to make up for a loss of footage several years ago.

CAROLINA BEACH | A DIY Network reality series will chronicle the construction of a New Hanover County couple's new Carolina Beach home.From the ground-breaking to the big reveal, “Raising House” production crews will be on hand to capture the process, said Todd Piper, owner of Tidal Wave Construction, the Carolina Beach company that's building the home.Premiere dates for the second season and the Carolina Beach episode have not yet been set.